A/N: I plan on using as many Downton characters in this story as humanly possible. I like stories with LOTR-size casts, ha. As usual, I do not own Downton Abbey. Also, Chapter 18 is a Public Service Announcement, so if you just want the story, skip it.

Text message from Thomas Barrow to Anna Bates, 05:49 am, Christmas Day, 2015

R u awake?

Anna Bates to Thomas Barrow, 05:50 am

Merry Christmas to you, too. We have a 3 year old. Of course I'm awake. Why r u awake?

TB to AB, 05:50

Wanted to know if it's true.

AB to TB, 05:51

What's true?

TB to AB, 05:51

Don't be coy. I'm sure he called John to tell him. Or did she call you?

AB to TB, 05:51

You're being cryptic.

TB to AB, 05:52

JUST TELL ME IF IT'S TRUE. I KNOW YOU KNOW.

AB to TB, 05:52

Y

TB to AB, 05:52

OMFG! LOL, Jimmy's awake, I screamed

AB to TB

Poor guy

Anna had barely sent the last text when her phone rang in her hand. Thankfully, she had thought ahead and put it on vibrate. John was still out cold next to her.

"Details! I want details! When? Last night? Where did it happen? Oh my God, I can't believe this! Oh my God, Oh my God…" Thomas was practically screaming over the phone. Anna slipped out of bed and held out her hand to Poppy. Her daughter took her hand as they hurried into the master closet. Anna shut the door and sat with her back to it.

"Merry Christmas."

"Jesus MUST love me, this is one hell of a Christmas present! Merry Christmas to Poppy!"

"Say Merry Christmas to Uncle Thomas," whispered Anna, holding out the phone.

"Mewy Chwistmas, Uncle Thomas!" Poppy called, her blonde hair in a wild tangle. Anna winced at her toddler volume.

"Shhhh, darling, Daddy's still sleeping." She held the phone back to her ear. "It's me again."

"Seriously, I want details! Now! Did you know about this? You had to have known this was going to happen!"

Anna laughed, covering her mouth. "You'll be over here this evening, can't it wait twelve hours?"

"NO! STOP STALLING, DAMNIT!"

"Fine! I don't have any details really, he just called John last night around 10:30 and told him he'd asked her, and she said yes. I don't know WHERE they were. And believe it or not, I didn't know it was going to happen. I suspected, but didn't know for sure. She doesn't tell me everything. You know, a woman of mystery…"

Thomas huffed over the phone. "And she didn't call you? Wow, that surprises me."

"She did call me, just after John got off the phone with him. And she said the same thing. Didn't give me any details, sorry."

"Well, what did she sound like? Happy?"

Anna sighed. "Yes, happy. And drunk."

"Aha! That's more like it! What did she say?"

"What people who are normally engaged say – 'I'm engaged'!"

"I can't believe this," Thomas said. Anna could hear him smiling over the phone. "I can't fu- I can't believe this. I never thought he'd have it in him. Or that she'd-you know, go for him."

Anna smiled at his almost slip. He was at least trying to curb his language. "Give him some credit! They've worked together for what, twenty-five years? They've been friends at least twenty." Anna giggled at Poppy, who was trying to do a somersault.

"Yeah, friends! Not friends with benefits, or lovers. It's not like she didn't have half the attorneys in the county – both married and not - chasing after her for the last two decades. And the other half were either like me, or too scared to try, even though you know they wanted to." Thomas paused. "Wow. Just…wow. I can't see her with him, can you?"

"You don't know what she thought of him-"

"Wait," Thomas interrupted. "If I find out you knew they've been sleeping together, and didn't tell me-"

"I didn't know anything until last month, when she told me they were meeting for dinner," Anna hastily explained. "That's the first I heard. I told you she doesn't tell me everything!" She heard a thump from the bedroom. She cracked the closet door and saw John yawning, sitting up on the bed. The digital clock flashed 5:56 AM.

"John's up, I'd better go. I told Poppy we had to wait until he got up to open presents. See you and Jimmy at six tonight?"

"Oh fine," Thomas grumbled. "I still think you know something. If you think you can play Betty Homemaker and hide in the kitchen all night, well guess what, I can throw on an apron too. You can't hide!"

"I don't intend to," Anna rolled her eyes. "Just do me a favor, okay? Let Jimmy get some more sleep. It is Christmas."

"Sure, I'll let him get more sleep. Unless he'd rather have sex. Merry Christmas to me…"

"Goodbye, Thomas. See you tonight," She smiled, shaking her head as she hit the red button with her thumb. John still sat on the bed, holding Poppy. He was tickling her, and her childish laughter made Anna's heart sing.

"Merry Christmas, sunshine," Anna dropped a kiss on his bed head. "I'm sorry, you got what? Four hours of sleep? That kitchen set had a thousand screws in it."

"More like ten thousand," he said, scratching his stubble. He picked up a t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on. Poppy spun in a circle in the middle of the bedroom.

"Daddy! Can we open presents? Please!"

John quirked his adorable side grin. "Let's go see what Santa brought you, sweetpea." He stood up and kissed his wife, his hands moving along her back, her hips, her ever-growing belly. She linked her hands behind his neck. They both jumped apart when Poppy stomped her foot.

"Now, Daddy!"

They sighed, smiling, hands linked as they went downstairs. Poppy danced down the stairs in front of them, humming "Jingle Bells".

"I'll make coffee, if you want to get the stockings down," Anna said. "It will be easier to start with that. Once she gets to the big presents, she won't want to open anything else."

"Sure," John said. "Let me guess – was that Thomas on the phone? I'm sure he wanted the inside scoop. Was he surprised?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Anna laughed as they went into the kitchen. "He screamed over the phone, said it was like a Christmas present to him."

John laughed as he reached over her head to get the box of coffee pods out of the cabinet.

"Thanks," Anna grinned. "I'm too short to reach that, don't know why I keep putting them back there."

"You're welcome," he said. He went over to the mantle and carefully removed Poppy's stocking. He put it on the floor in front of his daughter. He sat next to her, helping her rip paper.

"I don't know which of you enjoys that more, you or her," Anna said, leaving his steaming mug of coffee well out of the child's reach.

"Probably me," he grinned. He leaned back against the recliner chair and reached up for his coffee. Sipping a bit, he returned it to the side table. They both watched their daughter shriek over her new miniature Elsa.

"Mommy, look! It's Queen Elsa! She has my name!"

"Not quite your name, but close," Anna smiled, but it disappeared when her daughter started swinging her new doll by her hair – almost taking several ornaments off of the tree with her enthusiasm.

"Elspeth Poppy Bates! Do not swing the doll by her hair!" She scolded. Poppy's lip went into a pout. She flopped down on John's lap, holding Elsa against her side.

"You should treat Elsa better," her father soothed. "She is a queen, she wouldn't like being whipped around by her hair. Would you?"

"No," the little girl snuffled.

It was rare when Anna used her daughter's full name. It always made her think of her namesake, the woman who had meant so much to both her and John over the years. The woman who, incredibly, had gotten engaged last night. Anna shook her head in wonder. John kissed her cheek.

"I know," John said quietly. "I can't believe it either. Did that really happen? Maybe I didn't hear him right, maybe the lack of sleep is affecting my brain."

"You heard him right," Anna said softly, "and anyway, she told me, so we know it's true. Mr. Carson is going to marry our Elsie Hughes."

As John got up to start sifting through the pile of presents under the tree, Anna felt a smile growing on her face.

She couldn't wait to hear all about it, and what everyone else would think. If Thomas was any indication, this was going to be all anyone could talk about. She thought about calling Beryl, but she knew she'd be out with family all day.

She quickly set a reminder on her phone to call Mary in the early afternoon. If anyone would have had an inkling about the engagement, surely it was Charles Carson's goddaughter.